I'd Love to Know What He's Thinking
by CorpseGrl
Summary: Molly Hooper's story, told through the eyes of her closest confidant, Tobias. This will certainly be a light-hearted story from a different point-of-view. Eventual Sherlolly.
1. Introductions

AN: I do need to take a moment here to explain that I do not own the characters of BBC's Sherlock. I make no profit from this story. It was just a silly little idea that I needed to share. I have some plans on where this story could go but would love to know what everyone thinks. Enjoy! - CG

Chapter 1: Introductions

He opened his startlingly colored eyes and peered at her as she hurried through the door. Molly had a huge grin on her face and a sparkle in her eyes that told him she had met another man that she would begin to fantasize about before, inevitably, some ill-timed flirting would bring her to tears. Poor girl, why did she always pick such terrible men? He blinked. She giggled and dropped her keys in the bowl by the door before tossing her bag on the couch beside him.

"Oh, you'll never believe the day I've had!" she gushed as she swept through the living room.

In keeping with her usual habits, though, she kept moving past him to her bedroom and began getting ready to shower. Her desire to shower immediately upon arriving home must have to do with the smell that lingered from her job. She did always have a particular odor of chemicals and dead things, but he didn't mind. He had gotten accustomed to her scent just as he had the rest of her odd behaviors. Well, odd by his standards, he was sure a lot of what she did was just part of her _humanness_. He heard the water of the shower start and decided to move from the couch to the foot of her bed in order to accommodate her desire to fully explain the day she had just experienced. He did like her company and listening to her talk.

In all the time he had known her, the routine had always been the same and he liked that she was a creature of habit. At night, she would set the alarm with plenty of time to get ready but inevitably hit snooze and then rush around and out the door to go to St. Bart's. The hospital was where they had met and he had instantly seen there was more than meets the eye with her. For someone who worked with death, she had such light and pleasant ways. Maybe that's why he felt she was worth the effort to get to know. Maybe it was just that she lavished attention on him like no other person he'd met.

Molly came out of the bathroom dressed in her usually baggy sweatpants and oversized t-shirt while toweling her hair.

"So are we ready for some dinner? Of course you are, bet you've been waiting all day for me to fix you something because you're just so lazy." She smiled at him and went back out to the main area of the flat with the open kitchen and sitting room. She opened the fridge to get something for the both of them. She put food in a bowl for him and began microwaving leftover curry takeout for herself. Food, although always appreciated, was certainly mundane. He would pick at it a little to make her happy. She didn't take notice and just continued talking.

"Well, like I was saying, it was possibly the most bizarre and amazing day I've had at Bart's yet. I met the most peculiar but certainly brilliant man. He came in with that Detective Inspector I mentioned to you, the one with the name that sounds so mysterious, _Lestrade_." She said it with a faux French accent and a little laugh.

"Oh, but D.I. Lestrade really isn't mysterious at all. He has these sort of eyes that make you really feel like he's seen too much and worries too much about the world. But he's always polite when asking for reports. Anyway, today Lestrade was totally exhausted looking but I don't think it had anything to do with the case. I think it had more to do with my strange visitor. His name was even odder than the detective inspector's, Sherlock Holmes. I mean, what kind of a name is that for a person these days? I'd bet he comes from one of those old families with lots of mystery. And talk about a mystery. He has the most intriguing face with pronounced cheekbones and pale skin. His dark hair certainly enhances the almost deathly pallor he has going on. Trust me, I know deathly pallor, and this guy has certainly got that going on. But his eyes! I've never seen anyone with eyes the exact color of his. There is a lot more to this man, I can just see it in his eyes."

Molly finished her small dinner and began to wash up. She moved to the living room and took her place on the sofa. He feigned interest in his dinner a little longer while listening to her chatter more from the living room.

"Anyway, he comes in with D.I. Lestrade to look at a body. I guess he is some sort of specialist because he spent several minutes just looking over the body with a small pocket glass before he began reciting aspects of cause of death. I had just finished my own work on the body and couldn't believe how much he had gotten right with just a look at the body. Mr. Holmes then went on to tell Lestrade, quite rudely if I might add, that he should hurry up and get the woman's boyfriend in custody before he left the country."

Finally deciding he was bored with dinner, he left his bowl and went to join Molly on the couch. She switched on the telly and started her evening routine. A little trash telly and light reading (tonight it looked like a medical journal) followed by bed. Although he really enjoyed being with her, he couldn't help but feel like most of these nights she was more lonesome than she cared to admit. She definitely needed more than just his company.

"I get the feeling I might see more of this Mr. Holmes in the lab, though. He paid no attention to me whatsoever, he seemed pleased to be in the morgue and I overheard him mention to Lestrade that he would be taking some samples from the body and performing his own tests to confirm his findings and prepare evidence for trial. I wonder what kind of specialist he is that he can just take over parts of my lab and tell New Scotland Yard who to arrest?"

She sighed and became absorbed in the monotony on the screen. She absentmindedly thumbed through the journal and reached out to run her fingers through his hair. He certainly didn't mind the attention and stayed beside her until she finally headed to bed.

Tobias really was happy here. He'd lived with Molly for a few years and knew it was far better than living in the alley near the hospital. Of course she called him Toby most of the time, reserving his full name for when she introduced him to her rare houseguests or when he'd been a bit not good, but he wouldn't begrudge his lovely caretaker her whims. She really was a whimsical girl, with a dark sense of humor and a gentle heart. She had a soft spot for Tobias and was always affectionate and considerate of his moods. He really couldn't imagine a better human being.

Strolling down the hall his green eyes had no trouble adjusting to the dark and his sensitive hearing could make out the quiet breathing of his gentle Molly falling asleep. He hopped up on her bed, curling up next to her. He sat there purring contentedly for a little while before deciding his gray stripes and white paws needed cleaning. A little bath before doing his nightly inspection of the flat for anything interesting that might show up.

* * *

Weeks went by and Molly continued with the majority of her routine. Tobias thought things were going just as well as could be expected considering Molly's growing fascination with the bizarre gentleman that sometimes interrupted her day. The only real impact it had on his life was that it frequently made her late with his dinner. How could this new mystery man make it so easy for her to forget to come home and feed her beloved Toby? Tobias considered the many ways he could remind her of his presence, maybe a little claw sharpening on the arm of the sofa. He was just considering if it was worth the effort to get up when Molly did finally come home.

"Well, Toby, I guess that's that then. I finally made an attempt today to get Sherlock's attention and it completely backfired. I think they might be right that he's just not interested. Or I guess it could be he's just not that interested in me."

Tobias walked over and rubbed against Molly's leg and she picked him up, carrying him with her to her bedroom as she spoke.

"He came to the morgue again today, needed to work on an experiment and I pulled out a body for him. The body was a man who used to work at the hospital, I knew him. He was nice. And Sherlock just started walloping his body with a riding crop. It was bizarre, but what about Sherlock isn't, right? Anyway, it's always just so fascinating to watch him work. I decided to work up the courage to try to speak to him again. Asked him if he'd had a bad day or something."

She'd curled up on the bed with him on her lap. He settled there, purring quietly and blinked at her to have her continue her story.

"He barely even noticed I had spoken. He just kept on talking. Asked me to text him what kind of bruises developed over the course of 20 minutes. It apparently has something to do with a case he's working on. Turns out he's a "consulting detective" and helps out the detectives at the Yard and clients that want more 'discreet' methods used. Although, I honestly don't know how Sherlock can do anything and not be noticed doing it. I know I can't help but notice him. I guess that's why I kept talking. Then he did something so remarkable, Toby, he actually noticed something about me. He saw I'd put on some lipstick. Not a lot, mind you, just a bit of color. I guess I was trying to make myself feel more brave."

Toby inwardly sighed, he knew where this was going. Poor Molly always tried too hard and scared off the guys she met. Not that he was looking for a new flatmate, and men could be quite messy, but she did need the companionship of another human. Molly got up and continued with her story while she readied to shower.

"The fact that he saw the lip color really shouldn't surprise me though, he notices _everything_. But it caught me off guard a little, and I blushed." She sighed with a sad little smile, like she knew she was starting to get in over her head. Toby licked at his paws to try and let her know he saw that she was falling into her old habits. It was the closest he could come to a resigned sigh and headshake. When would she learn?

"I recovered well and took the plunge. I asked him if he'd like coffee. But then the strangest thing, he responded, 'Black, two sugars. I'll be upstairs.'" She did her best to lower her voice and imitate what Sherlock must sound like. Really it was all a bit ridiculous. Toby stood preparing to wander out of the room. She still hadn't fed him.

"Maybe it's true what they say about him, that he just doesn't fancy women. Which is fine. Or he could just not fancy me at all and is trying to spare me another rejection." She shook her head.

"Oh, well, I can still dream can't I? Okay, Toby, I'll just pop in the shower then we can have dinner. Maybe put in a movie tonight. Something romantic and silly."

She smiled and finally entered the bathroom. Tobias left the room too, headed into the living room. The arm of the sofa could still get a little abuse while she showered. Then he'd settle in to the routine as normal. It sounded like he might have to get used to all this _Sherlock Holmes _talk because his Molly was falling for the mystery man. Oh how he hoped it wouldn't all end in tears this time. He flicked his tail and began his work on the sofa.


	2. Lovestruck

Chapter 2: Lovestruck

Tobias crouched just inside the door to the hall, the tip of his tail was twitching. He could see his victim just under the edge of the sofa in the sitting room. Silent as nightfall he crept into the room and in one bold move pounced on the mouse. He sunk his teeth into it's back and flung it across the room. He chased after it, flicking it back and forth with his claws. He tore from the room, into the hallway, and to the bedroom beyond. Turning quick as lightning he retraced his path to the living room and jumped into the air to strike at his grey prey once again. His heart was racing and his ears stood to full attention. Just as he prepared to assault the creature again, the key turned in the lock and Molly entered the room from outside. Change of plans. He picked up his trophy and carried it to her. She stood there as he placed it at her feet and looked up at her. He purred with satisfaction and yowled at her for approval.

"Oh what a good boy you are! Did you get that naughty mouse? Well done, Toby, you are a champion among cats," she rewarded Toby's efforts with smiling praise and a scratch behind the ears.

Molly then picked up the toy mouse he brought her and tossed it gently back into the living room. Sensing that his prey might try to escape again, he turned and ran after it. He was the defender of this flat and Molly Hooper in it, he would strike down whoever entered uninvited including catnip stuffed toy mice. Laughing at his antics, Molly sat her bag and keys down by the door in their usual place and went about the rest of her evening routine.

Once again smelling clean, Molly came into the main space, fixed a bowl of pasta for one, and settled down on the sofa with her legs tucked underneath her. Tonight's mental escapism was provided by a favorite science fiction movie that always made her smile, _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. Knowing Molly, she'd soon be up and at the bookshelf pulling down the well worn copy of the book as well. Tobias had gotten tired of his mouse hunt and joined her, curling up beside her leg. He sat there content as she ate, placed her bowl absently on the coffee table and began stroking his fur. About the time Arthur was tied to a stake having horrible poetry read at him, Molly decided to regale her companion with the events of her day.

"I saw Sherlock again today. He surprised me at lunch in the canteen. He was acting a bit strange to be honest, although strange for him is normal so that's not saying much. Asked what I was having and made a dark little joke about not wanting to eat pork while slicing up cadavers. I thought I was the only one who had such a twisted sense of humour," she giggled remembering, "That kind of thing would turn most stomachs. But he's right, I haven't been able to eat pork and do any cutting since they served ham slices in school after I'd done fetal pig dissection in A&P. Eugh."

Molly visibly shivered at the memory. Tobias didn't really see what the problem was, dead was dead and all dead things were potentially dinner. Beggars couldn't be choosers, he'd learned that from his brief stint as an ally cat snooping around skips for scraps. Although, the stuff in the tins Molly fed him was preferable. Molly continued.

"Anyway, I thought he had come to do some experiments, but it turns out that he needed to have access to some bodies that are part of a Scotland Yard investigation. Both of them appeared to be suicides, but something just didn't feel right about that. Trust Sherlock to show up to confirm my suspicions. I tried to tell him that I couldn't just let him in without prior authorization, but before I could really explain, he started flattering me. At least that's what it would have been if any other man told me he liked my hair. I'm not really sure what Sherlock's motivation was..." Molly's voice trailed off.

She sat there for a long while, twirling said strands in her fingers. Tobias recognized this as the absent-minded posture she used while thinking. She could sit for hours absorbed in a book or just staring at the wall slowly wringing a piece of hair in her fingers. He found that it was a very feline trait, almost like when he sat in thought flicking the tip of his tail. If she was going to be like that, he knew it was best to go about his own routine, he decided to take a bath and then a nap.

When the movie was over, Molly got up and stretched rousing Tobias from his nap. He stretched as well, arching his back sharply. It was about time for her to head to bed in order to be at work in the morning. She had a regular shift tomorrow, standard eight to five. He watched as she put her bowl in the kitchen and turned out lights. Tobias padded softly behind her as she went to the bedroom. Laying in the darkness, with her blankets pulled up around her and Toby curled up again at her shoulder, she spoke again.

"What I don't understand is that he really didn't need to flatter me to get access to the bodies. They were part of D.I. Dimmock's investigation and he could have easily authorized Sherlock to look at them. Especially since all they wanted to do was look at the feet." She crinkled her nose and then closed her eyes.

"They had matching lotus tattoos on the heel, which I of course had noted in my observations in the reports I had given to Dimmock. There was no real reason for Sherlock to come see me, unless…" Molly yawned as sleep started to take hold of her, "Unless he just wanted to see me. Do you think he might have noticed me after all? Wouldn't that be lovely, Toby?" She sighed and fully succumb to slumber.

* * *

Three weeks later, Tobias' thoughts would be occupied with a different potential suitor. Molly burst into the flat with an excited squeal that sent him scurrying from the sofa to the back bedroom to duck into her closet. What had gotten into her?!

"Great news, Toby! Really great news! I've got a date!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and down like a schoolgirl in the middle of the room. Coming into the bedroom, she scooped him up and twirled him around.

"I haven't been on a date in ages and I was beginning to think I really was invisible."

Tobias squirmed to be put down and Molly placed him on the edge of the bed with a little pat on the head before she went off to shower and change. His eyes narrowed and he began thinking hard about what Molly had just said.

It was true that it had been several months, almost a year, since her last date. He didn't think she was unattractive, just that she tried too hard. If she could just talk to them like she did with him, she would get along a lot better. Of course, there was also the smell, even with her regular showers some guys couldn't get over the 'morgue musk' she sported. And yes, she had a dark sense of humour and a rather large collection of books about death and dissection. But if you were in a relationship with a pathologist, he was sure this was something you would just have to expect. Tobias wondered who this new guy was and if he stood any chance of understanding somewhat sardonic but always affectionate Molly.

When she came out and headed for the kitchen, Tobias trailed along behind to see if she would give him any more information about her _date_.

"Today started off pretty rotten, but my dad always used to say that every cloud has a silver lining. I'm sure this is what he meant, Toby." She talked absently to him while fixing both their dinners.

"The lab computers simply would not sync up with the new patient tracking system the hospital has pushed in an effort to be paperless. Honestly, I doubt it'll really reduce paperwork all that much, although I'd be grateful if it does. Mmmm…" Molly paused to lick some red sauce off the back of her spoon.

"But anyway, I had to call I.T. for someone to come in and look at the machines to see if there was any way I could get my work done today. The sweetest guy came in and was so helpful and charming. His voice was so soft. He was very cute too." Her eyes were losing focus. Tobias saw and recognized she was creating little fantasies involving picnics in the park, white dresses and domestic bliss.

"Really turned my day around. And so I took a chance and asked him to coffee. He seemed more shy that I am, but he finally said yes. So on Thursday I'm meeting Jim, that's his name, at the cafe across the street from Bart's." Molly sighed happily and cheerfully went back to her dinner.

She was silent the rest of the evening, reading one of her favorite novels and dreaming about her date. Tobias resigned himself to being ignored for the night. He had the same reservations about this date as he'd had when she first mentioned Sherlock Holmes. Molly was a very poor judge of character, and although he hoped for the best for her, he knew this could very well end in disaster. So both Molly and Tobias went to sleep that night with very different feelings toward Jim from I.T.

* * *

**AN: This story reflects a lot of myself and my own feline companion. Please forgive the self-indulgent HHGTTG reference. And about the dissection story Molly shares, that is a memory of my own. I had the bad luck to have Anatomy & Physiology before lunch in school and the only time dissection turned my stomach was when I went straight from the fetal pig lab to ham slices in the lunch line. Eugh indeed. Hope you guys aren't scared off as the meeting between Tobias and Moriarty is coming up. Reviews are love! - CG **


	3. Friends and Enemies

Chapter 3: Friends and Enemies

Honestly, he couldn't understand why she was making such a fuss. The place looked basically the same as it always did, she wasn't a messy person by any standards. Tobias again thought that Molly's biggest flaw was that she tried too hard. If she wasn't careful, she would burn dinner because she was spending too much time fussing with her hair in the bathroom. Was this "Jim" character really that important? Tobias did have to admit he was excited himself. He was looking forward to meeting this mysterious new man in her life, to his own opportunity to size him up. He sat on the arm of the chair in her sitting room, appearing to all outsiders to be asleep. He wasn't, merely observing. Tobias didn't even twitch when there was a light knock at her door.

"Oh, he's early!" Molly squeaked, rushing from the nearly-burned-but-rescued-in-the-nick-of-time homemade pizza to open the door. "Jim!"

"Molly," the newcomer answered, "Sorry I'm early. I was just a bit excited."

Tobias took note of the quality of the man's voice and his walk. Jim had a pleasing sounding voice with a bit of lilt and carried himself with an almost feline grace. He didn't seem to be aggressive in any way, the man was possibly more mild mannered than Molly. In Tobias' estimation, that took a lot of effort, but he saw no immediate reason to interrupt them. He listened with half an ear as they chatted and laughed in the kitchen. When they moved to sit on the sofa and eat, he took that as his opportunity to begin an up-close investigation, as well as beg for a bit of the pizza. Tobias quietly walked over and began rubbing against Jim's leg.

"Oh, who have we here? Is this Toby from your blog?" Jim reached down to stroke the fur along Tobias' back.

"Yes. I should have introduced you properly. Jim meet Tobias, Toby for short. Toby, this is Jim." Molly motioned between the two of them as if introducing two people. Tobias liked that she considered him an equal to any human who might enter their shared home.

"Nice to meet you Toby," Jim said, scratching between Tobias' ears for added emphasis.

Tobias couldn't resist purring, he loved to have attention showered upon him, regardless of the source. He climbed up on the arm of the sofa beside Jim to encourage more. Nuzzling into Jim's arm he could tell the man was strong, well muscled. The man also smelled oddly, his scent had notes of something sharp and metallic just underneath the typical masculine cologne. Tobias wasn't sure how to place it but it unsettled him a bit to have that smell near his Molly.

"Looks like he approves," Molly giggled. Turning to her television, "I don't really have a lot of movies, would you like to just find something on telly?"

"Sure," Jim answered with a shy smile. "You choose, I'm just enjoying being here with Toby...and you."

A bright smile lit Molly's face as she sat back onto the sofa and casually leaned into Jim's side. Tobias decided to join the pair and curled himself on her lap. He wasn't going to leave her alone in the company of the strange man. Although, outwardly appearing entirely innocent, there was something just below the surface of this man that made Tobias uneasy.

* * *

"All men are complete trolls!" Molly shouted as she barrelled through her door, slamming her keys and flinging her bag on the sofa, missing Tobias by inches. He darted out of the way and took refuge under the armchair. He decided to wait for the throwing of things to stop before approaching her.

"Aurgh! I don't know which one I'm more upset with really," she exclaimed, heading into the kitchen. She grabbed a full container of vanilla ice cream from the freezer and a spoon. Gesturing wildly with her arms, she continued speaking,

"First, Mister Too-Brilliant-To-Be-Bothered decides to use his overly developed powers of observation to tell me my potential boyfriend is _gay_! All those things he pointed out about his hair and his eyes and his _underwear_! I should have lit into him for that, I mean, what does it say about Sherlock if he's noticing another man's underwear?"

She flopped down onto the sofa, stretched along it's length with her head propped up on a cushion. Tobias decided it was safe enough to come out and sit beside her head on the arm, peering down at her while she took a huge bite of ice cream. She continued to rant, struggling a bit to be clear and getting a fair bit of ice cream in her hair.

"Oh...then he goes and tells me I've gained weight! Like it wasn't enough to insult my choice in men... he just...oooh...I had no words. Of course... then I go to meet with Mister Too-Good-To-Be-True... we fight about whether he is or isn't really gay...he accuses me of just using him to make Obviously-Oblivious jealous. Needless to say... I think I can write him off as not boyfriend material. It's not even been a _week_! That's got to be a record. Oh, Toby... where did I go wrong?"

Being a cat, and no expert on human behavior (mating or otherwise), Tobias didn't have any clue where she had gone wrong. He didn't much care about the loss of Jim as a suitor because there was clearly something not right about the man. That acrid metallic smell had lingered on the sofa for hours after the man left. And he hadn't met the mysterious Sherlock character so he wasn't sure what could be causing her trouble with him. What he did know was that she was upset. He crawled over her shoulder to sit on her chest trying to comfort her while also stealing some ice cream.

Later that evening, after she had considered half a container of ice cream to be dinner, Molly showered and crawled into bed. Tobias snuggled up close to her while she silently cried herself to sleep. This was the first time she cried over these two men, Jim from I.T. and Sherlock Holmes. He wondered how many tears were to come.

* * *

The next day was bright and brought renewed energies for Molly and Tobias. She had the day off and was spending her time performing the break-up recovery rituals she always went through. Even though Jim had not really been her boyfriend, Tobias could see that she had gotten emotionally attached to the idea of him as a partner. The first step was always stripping her bed to wash all her linens. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was symbolic of a fresh start and sweeter dreams. He'd never fully understand humans. But he did enjoy chasing the edges of the sheets when she re-made the bed. Molly laughed at his antics and that made her playful scolding worth it. Tobias really did love her and wanted her to be happy.

Then he watched as Molly tidied up the rest of the flat, putting books on shelves, discarding old newspapers, washing out her mug and cleaning out the fridge. That was his favorite part because he could sometimes entice her to give him bits of food. He was lucky, today he got the last slice of deli meat she decided it wasn't enough for a sandwich. Tobias spent the afternoon lazily sprawled on the sofa beside her as she absently watched her favorite movies and thumbed through a stack of magazines. Tomorrow was a new day.

* * *

A buzzing sound woke Tobias early. Molly didn't have to be awake for another couple of hours, so it wasn't her alarm. His ears shifted to identify the sound. It was coming from the main room. He hopped off the bed and headed towards the sound. He found it, her mobile set to silent, buzzing on the coffee table. Tobias watched as it slowly worked its way off the table and clattered to the floor. That sound was enough to rouse Molly.

"What are you doing, Toby? Leave my phone alone." She spoke to him as if it was his fault it was on the floor. Why would he have any interest in the thing? He turned his nose up at her and walked into the kitchen towards his bowl. He didn't respond when she silently corrected herself, realizing that she had missed a phone call.

"Hello? Dr. Watson, what's wrong? Why are you calling so early?" Molly was returning her missed call.

"_Oh God. No_." Her face fell and she collapsed bonelessly into the sitting chair. "I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I had no idea. Is everyone alright?" Tobias noted the anxiety in her voice. He went back to Molly, she needed him.

"I'm so glad you are alright. Sherlock will never forgive me... I introduced them! I'm a terrible friend, a terrible person." She paused, listening to the voice on the other end, "No, I understand. Please tell him how sorry I am... And I'm so glad you're safe, Dr. Watson...John... I'm just so glad both of you are safe."

Tobias watched as she ended the call and her hands dropped to her sides. She stared into space and spoke but not to him.

"He was a monster. I was such a fool."

Molly buried her face in her hands and sobbed miserably. There was nothing Tobias could do but sit at her feet and watch as her heart wore itself out in salty tears streaming down her face.

* * *

**AN: I really want to apologize for the delay in updating this story. I can't believe it's been nearly a month! I really meant to have this story on a 2-week schedule but life happens. **

**Anyway, hope you don't feel too bad about this chapter. Dear Molly unfortunately goes through a rough patch in this episode (and the next) that I can't really avoid dealing with. Stay tuned as we get to have some Christmas antics next chapter. Reviews are love! - CG**


End file.
